


The Ethereal Theory

by Leathepyromaniac



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Aqua and Terra are older than cannon, F/F, F/M, Gen, Human Experimentation, M/M, Multi, Other, Ventus is younger than cannon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-10-30 09:44:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17826392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leathepyromaniac/pseuds/Leathepyromaniac
Summary: *Set in an alternative universe of my own idea*Day in and out of the lab, things were no different for Aqua. Suddenly, she's dragged in a world of conspiracy with people's souls being taken and new ones being created.OrA boy with a story one day appears in Aqua's life, and she swears she will get his freedom no matter the cost, little did she know how big the situation actually was.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note this is set in an AU of my own creation. I just thought about it one day and went, 'let's just write it...' so here you go! Warning: this is going to get complicated quickly...  
> Also, there's no real science applied to this universe.

17th August 1967

The boys sat in silence in the mostly empty library, save for a few unfortunate souls who had exams coming up in the fall. Pondering over their game of chess, which occupied their full attention, attempted to predict each other's moves. One of the boy's face turned into a pout at the sight of his loss, while his friend sat with a look of triumph.

"Checkmate." The victor had said through his friend did not have to look up to see the smirk on his face.

The dark-haired boy, the youngest, laughed still. It wasn't unusual for him to lose such games and therefore lost any value in loosing. "Oh, I'll beat you next time."

With a smile, an unusually silver-haired boy said, "As you always say, but fail to do..." A thought seemed to wash over his face in that moment, one of seriousness. "Say... what do you know about soul movement?"

His friend perked up from the chessboard at his question. "The religious aspect or something else?"

"Take a guess..."

Eraqus didn't have to know anything else for the subject to become clear. Xehanort was never one for such things as God or following in some righteous path, so that could have only left one other thing for Xehanort to mean. "The Ethereal Theory." He started."The movement of souls via science, using electrical equipment," Eraqus stated. "Xehanort, that paper was written almost eighty years ago."

"Even so the theory was amazing for its time when we knew so little about electricity and the world itself!" Xehanort exclaimed, a light glowing up in his eyes.

"Even so," Eraqus spoke up "The paper was to suggest going into human testing. That's why the company in charge got shut down. It got to the point where it was too inhumane to continue."

Xehanort rolled his eyes in exasperation, "And went against their shiny morals now? Their bullshit God doesn't like anything remotely different."

"Xeha!" Eraqus half shouted, out of fear of being heard. His distress wasn't at what Xehanort had said about the God many seemed to follow but rather what his words suggested. "Don't forget where we are... and don't seriously tell me you want to experiment on other people...?"

At his words, the silver-haired boy's head snapped up. "What? No! Why would I? Of course not! Look, I may not believe in some kind of God like you do, but that doesn't mean I don't have morals to draw a line, Era!" He shook his head slightly before glancing around to check nobody was around to see their actions. "I just mean..." Xehanort sighed before grabbing his boyfriend's hand and pressing a soft kiss upon it. "The world as it is now... It...does not like those who are different, Eraqus. It doesn't like people like you and me, just because of whom we love."

Eraqus sighed, softness washing over his features. The risk of being caught and the love in his heart was making him anxious. He knew what would happen if they got caught, but that didn't make him reluctant to love his boyfriend and love any less. "You know what? I'll read the paper... I'm sure we could do some research into it but promise me we'll never go as far as to hurt other people."

Xehanort smiled. "I promise."

Eraqus wasn't sure he wanted to know what had brought the subject up.

* * *

 

63 Years Later

Aqua couldn't help but sigh as she walked down one of the long hallways of the establishment. It had been a long week for sure with deadlines approaching without any significant progress was exhausting. Gripping the cups of coffee in her hands tighter, she scanned her pass before entering the lab.

"Ah, I see you brought us some Coffee, my dear." Aqua smiled at the sight of the project leader. An old man almost in his late sixties, but his love for science never dying behind his eyes. "It's going to be a long night..." He commented.

"Yes, it will, Ansem. Might as well bring our energy supplements now!" She laughed, setting it down on his desk. With another cup of Coffee, Aqua observed her pile of paperwork stacked up on her desk. "Workload is high as ever." The woman remarked.

Ansem looked up from his work in a pile of wires to her's. "Well, I guess that is what the result is when Xemnas steals all your budget," He looked around the room. "And your staff."

The room used to be full of many people, Aqua and Ansem being only two of those present. All but they were gone from this lab now, even Evan and Ienzo who were more dedicated to results than pay, were gone to the lab downstairs. Aqua supposed higher pay always won in the end. Not that she'd blame them of course.

"Aqua, why don't you take an early night tonight? Surely you are tired from all of the work from last night..." Ansem suggested.

Aqua glanced from her Coffee to her paperwork with a frown. "Ansem, I'm not usually one to go against your suggestions but-"

"I'll handle the deadline...you just make sure you stay well rested."

"But one might suggest that the mind of a scientist never rests."

Both Aqua and Ansem looked to the doorway where Xemnas stood, studying their expressions. Aqua tried her best not to look disturbed at his smirk. His expression softened slightly at the sight of Aqua, although it made her more uneasy if anything. "But I digress, have a good evening, Miss Aqua."

"Thanks," Aqua replied with forced enthusiasm. "You too." All too eager to leave the room, she gulped the rest of her coffee, and almost scalding her throat in the process, she grabbed her pass and coat before walking out the room.

Ansem glanced at Aqua, only giving a subtle nod as a quick goodbye, he turned to Xemnas, who seemed to be looking where Aqua once stood. "If That was me, there's no doubt you'd tell me to continue for days straight." Ansem remarked, authority leaking through at his former apprentice, who had risen through the ranks almost too quickly.

"Then perhaps it's a good thing she's not one of our senior scientists." Xemnas turned to Ansem.

"Yes, although she's a perfectly intelligent and capable woman."

"That we can agree with." The younger man glanced down first to her paperwork then he seemed to smile slightly at the small plant on her desk. That was something he would have to keep in mind. "Tell me, why is it that no matter the pay or resources I offer for her, she decides to stick with you?"

Ansem couldn't help but chuckle. "Perhaps not all loyalty can be brought, unlike what you seem to think. If anything, I'm grateful her loyalty runs deeper than any pay grade." The older man was certain he'd be useless without Aqua around.

Xemnas scoffed. He continued studying Aqua's desk as if he was looking to figure out her interests and likes. Ansem looked at his behavior, noticing the cogs behind his eyes working every aspect of his assistant out. "Say, what is it that has you so interested in my assistant's desk?" He asked.

Xemnas looked up before looking down again. "It's not so much the desk, but rather the person. She's rather interesting actually."

Amber eyes stared into the other's for a moment, trying to understand what Xemnas was suggesting. "Are you telling me... you see my assistant as a love interest?"

"No, I'm just intrigued by her actions." He snapped, although his choice of words was weak at best to counter Ansem's question. Maybe he did have an interest in Aqua, either way, Aqua was more interested in her work then seeing other people.

Xemnas's attention was then turned to the flower once again. He noted it was a Tatarian Aster, or a Shion flower, as it was commonly known to be. Judging by the handwriting on the sticky note on the pot, it was from Ienzo when he had come to work in Xemnas's lab. The plant well cared for enough, he supposed. He wondered for a moment why Ienzo was telling Aqua that he would never forget her, before remembering none of his staff usually saw the day of light much. A joke, he thought.

"Do you mind telling me why it is you came here in the first place?" Ansem cut through his thoughts.

"I already have what I came here for," Xemnas said before promptly leaving.

"Dear God, he has an interest in Aqua." Ansem shook his head before returning to work, surprised his former apprentice had taken an interest in his assistant.

* * *

 

Aqua had gotten all the way to reception before she realized she had forgotten her keys in her haste, only to turn around to the person she wanted to see the least.

"I believe you forgot these on your desk, Miss Aqua." He smiled in a way that made Aqua uneasy.

"Oh, thanks," Aqua said before slowly taking her keys from the scientist. "I wouldn't have been able to go home without these."

"I'm glad I could help." He said before turning around to return to his lab.

Aqua shuddered in slight distress at his sudden appearance. She couldn't understand how it was that with every turn she seemed to take, he would be there. It was almost like he could teleport, she laughed to herself at the thought. How silly it all was. Xemnas was only returning her keys after all. Hell, maybe even Ansem has asked him to give the keys to her. Aqua decided it didn't particularly matter. At least she would be able to return home without having to go back to the lab.

Turning to the receptionist, she handed her pass to the woman who sat quietly at the desk. Aqua thought for a moment that she always seemed a little sad. "Namine, right?"

Namine seemed surprised as she looked up, Aqua's pass still in hand. It was almost if she hadn't expected anyone to notice her, let alone know her by name. "Uh... yes?"

"How is it you seem so sad? Long week? I can't imagine it's pleasant filing reports day in and out..." The blue-haired woman gave a smile, hoping to calm the girl who seemed to be unprepared for such a conversation.

"Yes... that's it. It's just a long week." Namine looked nervous. Maybe she didn't get out, and Aqua guessed her job left her inside more often than not. Taking her pass out of Namine's hand, she chuckled.

"Don't worry, a few more hours and you get to go home, have a good nap and eat some good food that doesn't involve terrible coffee." The blonde tried to give what seemed to be a nervous smile.

Aqua quickly gave her goodbye before leaving the building.

Namine looked down at the part of the desk hidden from view. In front of her, there was nothing to suggest anything about the life she could have had. Looking to her right, she looked commonly at the small drawing of the space around her. She smiled.

"A home to go to..." Holding back tears, she wished for a home she never had. She could never leave this building. She was the lab rat in the lab after all.

In a few hours, Xemnas would come for her, then a few small hours of chemicals and experimentation, later resting in the small room of a home she had.

* * *

 

"Come on, Sora! It's not that complicated if you-"

"I've tried! How am I meant to know what the exchange rate is? We're not allowed to Google!" Sora threw his hands dramatically in the air. Mathematics was never his strong point, but that didn't mean he was entirely useless at it.

Riku looked up from his calculator with a raised eyebrow. "Sora, they give you example exchange rates..." Sora looked extremely confused for a moment before turning his worksheet over.

"Oh..."

"And this is what I was trying to tell you for the past few minutes!" Kairi groaned loudly, her frustrations visible. "Now, if you divide the foreign currency by the exchange rate, you should get your answer..."

Sora quietly wrote the rest of his homework without much protest from that point on.

The oldest of the three looked upon his friends with a smile. He would admit he didn't have the best of backstories, but somehow his friends always accepted and loved him nevertheless. Riku would forever be grateful for that, he thought. Thanks to them, he'd have a better chance in life.

Sora, though usually bubbly and excited like a puppy even at the worst of times, only seemed to have his spirits dashed at the thought of more homework and algebra that was too complicated for him to understand easily. He was a giving person, Riku thought, always making the best out of a bad situation.

Kairi glanced at him, a slight look of concern in her eyes. Only then did he realize he had been staring at them both for the past few minutes. His phone's screen had been long off, so hastily did he unlock his phone and tapped to give the illusion of him only looking at them briefly. Sora did not seem to notice this himself.

They both next watched Sora throw his pen across the room out of utter defeat.

* * *

Aqua flopped down on the sofa upon arriving home, exhausted beyond belief and sleep desperately wanting to take over. Slowly, she got back onto her feet and walked towards the kitchen. An apple or something would at least do before her nap, she thought.

"Maybe a bit more than an apple is in order, don't you think?" Turning around did she see her father-figure in life, seemingly amused at her dishevelment. She laughed, before grabbing a plate intending to make a better meal for herself.

"Well, that's what society deems as proper for the human body." Aqua giggled.

"Science too."

"Science too." the Woman agreed, leaning against the counter. "But sometimes, not all science is good and therefore must be stopped if gone too far. That's why you asked me to work in that lab, isn't it?"

"Yet I fear I'm asking too much of you...I-"

"I'm the one who made that choice in the end." Aqua ached to tell him it wasn't his fault. That it wasn't him who broke the promise he made so long ago. Stepping forward and embracing him, Aqua held him tightly in the small amount of comfort she could offer. "I promise I'll find a way to set it right..."

* * *

Deep down in the lab, Xemnas walked along what was probably the longest hallway. Eventually, he came to a stop in front of what seemed to be reinforced doors. He wandered into his lab, met with tanks full of chemicals and other fluids that would be their basis of life. Then again, he supposed it was their basis for life, after all, one of them was already upstairs. All the data of the DNA of citizens were here as well, all documented nice and neat ready for use when replicated.

"Sir, there' a problem... with one of the preserved bodies," Isa said, looking up from his clipboard. "One of them is showing signs of consciousness. He- It's one of those one's sir..." Xemnas didn't have to have any more context to know what he had meant.

One of the bodies who had been preserved in time longer than this company had existed. "I assume it will be deceased soon enough?"

"No, if anything... this one seems to be clinging onto life, unlike those who usually perish."

With a look of questioning, Xemnas requested that he would see the body at once. Eventually, they came to some of the farthest tanks. It was only a young boy, perhaps no older than ten years old. Blonde hair seemed to poke everywhere, maybe as a result of the chemicals that kept him alive so long. Either way, the boy's hand was visibly twitching, a common sign of someone under waking up. Tapping on the glass, he appeared to move, almost as if he was trying to locate the source of the sound. "Do you have his file?" Xemnas asked.

Isa gave a short nod as a yes, before handing over an old file. "His name is Ventus he was ten years old when the preservation happened. He's got to be at least a hundred years old now..."

Ventus was an old name, Xemnas thought when names were more than just labels and meant something to the world. No name had a destined meaning, not anymore at least. The boy's name had a broken definition, blown away in the wind.

"Leave him for now. Keep an eye on how his condition progresses then we'll decide his fate."

"What about his soul? According to the reports, it was -"

"Split into two entities. I'm aware. Combine a part of one half with the DNA of a random boy of the same blood type. Then give the result a replica." Xemnas commanded.

"...understood..."

* * *

 

Meanwhile, in another lab, Ienzo looked at the tank in front of him nervously. The regret of not being able to stop the immoral and horrific experiments weighed heavily on his shoulders. In all honesty, the plethora of glowing orbs of people's souls in front of him was frightening. Studying one of the lights closer, did he notice something. A lot of the souls were fractured and broken, perhaps it was from their long imprisonment.

At the sound of a loud bang, Ienzo jumped back, hitting the large tank of souls, spilling the contents. Most that fell out of the chemicals burst into shards of light at contact with the air. Ienzo swore under his breath before quickly putting on gloves so he could stop any more of the chemical contents from spilling. Evan soon came in to see Ienzo's disarray and went pale at what he saw. They soon came to an arrangement that they would ordinarily list the souls as perishing over time.

Unbeknownst to them, they hadn't noticed the shards form together in the air to create what had seemingly been a small soul long after they had left. The soul itself knew it didn't have a vessel to survive long, so it opted to possess the armor that was in the lab for keepsakes, and so it became the lingering will of many thoughts and ideas put together.

Nothing more than wishes without a soul.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aqua isn't sure what to think anymore.

It was days like this when Aqua appreciated being able to sleep more than usual. Days when, waking up, she felt refreshed and more eager to get out of bed. Although getting to work, no matter how she slept, the journey itself was still tiring itself no matter how relaxed she felt. Traffic always seemed to pile up as soon as she was on the road. Either way, for her it was all a frustrating process before she got to work. Despite this, Aqua always got to work on time.

However, the moment she stepped into the building, her gut feeling told her what kind of day it was going to be. By the desk stood Xemnas, talking to Namine. Upon a closer approach did she notice Namine seemed to be upset, deciding to intervene, Aqua approached the pair.

"Don't forget we can always replace you-" Xemnas then seemed to notice Aqua's presence within the building, his eyes narrowed for a moment before softening. "Ah, Miss Aqua. I hope your morning has been pleasant." Aqua just wanted to punch him purely for that damn smile.

"It's been fine. Though I am curious, may I ask why Namine is so upset?" The Bluenette tried to pretend she didn't see the momentary panic in Namine's eyes.

Xemnas coughed, "Ah, poor Namine here, her sister had called her this morning to inform her of her parent's passing." Aqua didn't even have to look at Namine's face to know that was only a story.

Aqua frowned. "I see, then don't you think it's reasonable enough for her to have time off? She's just lost a huge part of her life after all. Namine probably would want to see how her sister is holding up as well, wouldn't she?" His eyes widened for a moment, his composure faltering before quickly regathering himself.

Namine, during the whole ideal, seemed very surprised at the gathering events. Although, she did look as if she just wanted to curl in on herself out of existence.

Once again coughing, Xemnas straightened up, "Of course, it's only natural for Namine would need the space for grief." He then turned to a very perplexed Namine and spoke: "Gather your things, have today off."

At his words, Namine looked more confused than ever, if it were possible. Slowly, she nodded and returned behind the desk, supposedly to gather what was there. Aqua soon turned her attention back to Xemnas, who seemed to be figuring out what to say next.

"Miss Aqua, allow me to accompany you to your lab."

"That won't be necessary, thank you." Aqua turned to continue to her lab, but not to her surprise, Xemnas seemed to be following her.

"At least allow me to accompany you, as we're going in the same direction." A clatter from behind did they turn to see Namine had knocked over a pencil pot and looked at them wide-eyed.

"Sorry..." She gave a quiet apology before crouching down to pick up the pot and the pencils that seemed to be scattered.

Unable to protest, Aqua quietly walked with Xemnas down the hallway, silent and unwanting of conversation, but she felt she had to speak her mind. "What did you mean by 'We can always replace you'?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You said that to Namine. What did you mean by that?" Xemnas stopped for a moment, brows furrowed in thinking.

"Ah! What I meant was we could always replace her shift by having someone take over, so she could have some time to herself." Aqua would have to applaud him if he was faking realization or coming up with excuses. If she had recalled correctly, his tone when talking to Namine earlier wasn't one of concern, but somewhat of bitterness.

Upon arriving at the lab, Aqua quickly bid him goodbye before entering the lab. Strangely enough, it looked like Ansem had not appeared yet, although Aqua paid no attention to it, intent on finishing her paperwork before noon.

Only when did she sit at her desk, did she see the envelope with very distinct handwriting. Cautiously, she opened the letter.

As she read it, the Woman couldn't believe what she was reading. Ansem had quit? Aqua then was struck with the realization as to what must have been Ansem's main reason for leaving without warning. Had Xemnas pressured Ansem to resign? Is that why Xemnas was telling Namine she was replaceable? Because they were all replaceable...? Seething with anger, Aqua had every intention of going down to Xemnas's lab to demand answers as to what was going on.

Paperwork pushed to the back of her mind she marched out of her lab, more than happy to give Xemnas an earful.

A few hours earlier, Ansem had gone to Xemnas's lab himself, to get answers for yet another budget cut, only to be horrified by what he saw once he got around the far too complicated security system.  Living, breathing people. All inside tanks, waiting for experiments. For a moment, Ansem was grateful they were unconscious, unable to see their surroundings, for he was sure they would scream and panic if they were not.

As he observed the machinery, intending on freeing as many as possible, he did not notice the footsteps approaching from behind.

"You certainly have a habit of finding things you shouldn't..."

Before he knew it, Ansem was forced to write a letter of apology to his assistant, saying how he couldn't keep working with the lack of resources they had.  Xemnas had put it simply, that he could cooperate and maybe live to see tomorrow or struggle and not only put himself in danger, but his assistant as well. Ansem had hoped, that if he wrote the letter, Aqua wouldn't let curiosity get the better of her and lead her into a darker fate then those in the tanks. He prayed she wouldn't come looking for answers down here, or even consider working with Xemnas now he was out of his job.

"You've already forced me to write a letter for my assistant, what else do you want with me?" Ansem spat, his hands tied around his back.

"You are going to help us fulfill our little project here..."

* * *

 

Aqua couldn't believe what she was doing. Before, she would have done anything at all to avoid coming down to Xemnas's lab. But yet, here she was, about to have a go at him. With every step, her anxiety grew. The fear of confrontation grew stronger by the second, and Aqua was almost tempted to turn back. Almost.

By the time she had gotten to the door of the elevator which would lead downstairs, the woman had decided to swallow her pride to the best of her ability. As she descended, she spent the small amount of time contemplating every word she was going to say carefully, it might save her job, after all.

Upon arriving at the bottom level, there was a key code that required you to scan your pass, but much to Aqua's surprise, it seemed to be broken? If anything, Aqua didn't want to intrude on anything that could be happening behind the doors. Eventually, she decided to knock. She could always explain her presence if necessary.

What Aqua hadn't expected, was as soon as she had opened the door, the first thing she noticed was the fluids on the floor, smelling strongly of various chemicals, and Aqua hoped it wasn't anything dangerous to the human lungs. Secondly, she noticed the glass shards which cracked under her feet. Most of all, what had piqued her interest was the fact that within the entire lab, there was no one in sight. For a moment, Aqua considered the possibility that an evacuation had taken place.

The sound of something clattering on the ground soon led her to believe otherwise, though she would deny to them she had jumped out of her skin at the sound. Aqua considered that if she was going to die, she was going to regret only having a pen to defend herself. Regardless of this, she clicked the end of her pen, ready to stab someone if necessary.

Taking a deep breath and slowly approaching the source of the sound, Aqua braced herself for anything that could jump out at her. Her heart hammered in her chest as she tried to control her breathing. As she slowly drew closer to the source of the noise, Aqua then noticed the paleness of a figure hidden behind the tanks, wedged into a gap as if they were hiding. After a few seconds of silent contemplation as to what to do next, she decided to speak.

"Hello? Excuse me, what are you-?" As soon as she had spoken, the figure flinched, as if they were scared. Biting her lip, Aqua decided to take a more polite approach. "I'm Aqua, and I work in one of the other labs." She soon realized her latter statement probably didn't do anything to calm them. They seemed to try and shrink further into the background in some desperate attempt to disappear.

It's just then when it hits her what it is she's seeing.

It's a child. A small, defenseless child who must be so confused and lost, Aqua pocketed her pen immediately and took off her lab coat, intending to cover the boy. If she could get him to come out that is. She hoped this wouldn't turn into a Sherry Birkin situation where she got attacked from behind.

"Hey... it's okay. What-What are you doing here? What's your name?" No response. Aqua bit her lip, wondering how she could approach this. "Okay... I'm guessing you don't know where you are, right?" A small nod confirmed her suspicion. "I'll be honest that I'm not entirely sure either... But if we work together, I'm sure we can figure that one out. Is that okay with you?"

Only then did the boy look up but not meet her eyes, and Aqua managed to get a good look at him, all Aqua could think was how he was so young. By what she could see his eyes were bright blue but so scared, and his hair stuck out such an odd position she wondered what had caused it to stick up like that.

"Here, take my coat, you must be cold..."

Hesitantly, a small hand reached out for it and almost retracted when he realized he couldn't reach it. Aqua chuckled slightly at his struggle and held it closer.

"Can I come closer?" The boy looked at her completely for a moment, an expression of deep thought before slowly nodding. Before he could do much else, Aqua shuffled forwards till his hands touched the coat. He almost had her coat when their heads had snapped to the direction of oncoming sounds. "Tell me your name." He looked between the direction of the sound and Aqua.

"It... It's coming..." Aqua had to stop for a moment. It couldn't have been his name so...What was coming?

"What is?"

His breathing picked up and judging by the look in his eyes he was petrified. Thinking fast, Aqua picked him up and set him on his feet, quickly putting her coat on which swallowed him with his small stature. She then turned to run out the door with the boy, but that's when she saw it.

With its visor visibly cracked, and metal rusted all over the armor, it was a scary sight to see. Every step it took was slow and cautious as if it was figuring out how to walk for the first time. It was slow, but that didn't make it any less menacing.

"Who are- ah, screw it." She quickly realized she didn't care about having an answer to the question and pulled the child through the door to the elevator with her. Aqua panicked as the armor came closer and the doors were still open. Just as it had lifted a hand, the doors closed and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"...Ventus..." Aqua turned to the boy confused for a moment before she realized what he had meant.

"Aqua." She chuckled, their breaths signaling how nervous they both were. "It's nice to meet you, Ventus," Aqua said before she started thinking of ways to come into contact with as fewer people as possible. The lab couldn't have been safe for someone like Ventus, but that begged the question, how long had he been here?

As the doors opened once again, Aqua was grateful for the lack of people that usually roamed the hallways during the day, although most didn't come down here unless they worked for Xemnas. Whatever that armor was, she hoped it didn't work for him.

By the time they had reached Aqua's lab, Ventus had looked around nervously, trying to figure out his surroundings, but with a quick promise from Aqua that she was only going to grab some keys then they would leave, he calmed considerably.

Ventus's eyes darted around the lab, looking at every detail and noticing how it was so much brighter than the previous one. But soon enough they had to leave again, and the treck to the outside world was terrifying. Not because of the fear of encountering other people, but of what could be outside of the lab, and it made him afraid to admit he didn't remember anything from before.

Everything else was a blur from that point on, but he could remember the moment he stepped barefoot onto the pavement of the outside, Aqua dragging him along and pulling him towards a car, and how the light was so bright. Ventus barely remembered being restrained against the seat, but he could remember the panic of not being able to move. Aqua had reassured him he would be fine and after a while, he had started looking out the window, the hum of the engine drowned out.

He believed he had zoned back into reality when Aqua had pulled up at her house and had tapped on his shoulder. Azure eyes met sky blue as the reality of what had happened seemed to set in.

Aqua upon looking at her house, was grateful for how isolated it was because she wouldn't have to know how to explain the boy in the lab coat to the neighbors. Looking at how his eyes seemed to dart around the area, she could tell he was scared, and honestly, she couldn't blame him. She was terrified too.

Aqua didn't even want to think of the consequences that awaited her.

* * *

 

Xemnas felt like throwing something across the room. One of them had escaped, and it had to be one of them. Whatever had broken him free must have had an amount of precision and care to the point of not harming the child inside. Though the child couldn't have had gone far if they had run by themselves, judging by the glass on the floor.

"Isa. Look on every camera for the child. He's escaped with the help of somebody else, and we need to know who." He glared at the mess whoever helped the boy had made, but nevertheless, they would continue soon enough.

"Yes, Sir."

* * *

 

As she had unbuckled his seatbelt, she exited her door before opening his. Ventus seemed reluctant to move, but hesitantly, he gathered the courage to do so.

"Do you live here?" Aqua looked at him, awkwardly standing by her car still.

Smiling she replied, "Yeah, I do."

"Oh..."

Just as she had opened the door to let them both inside, she had turned to ask Ventus to follow her, only to see him no longer standing by the car, but kneeling down in the dirt, admiring the flowers she had planted some months ago. Slowly, he touched one of the leaves and smiled slightly at the colors.

Seeing how curious he seemed to be, Aqua considered leaving him alone, but then decided to figure out a few things about this child.

"You like the flowers?" He moved his hand away from one of the petals before setting it upon his lap. 

"Yeah, I like how colorful they are..."

"I do too, they're calming for me. Especially after a long day at work." Aqua patted his head, unsure of how to show she was friendly. She had no idea of any kind of trauma he could have gone through, and she didn't want to risk him getting upset right now.

Eventually, he stood up, dirt on his knees and gazed up at the house, looking unsure of everything and himself. Kneeling before him, she put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's go inside and get you some proper clothes." Ventus nodded before following slowly behind her.

"Is there any other people here?" Aqua looked down at him, wondering why he would ask such a question, but then again, he had spent some time in a lab with no one knowing...

"No, It's just me. My father comes to visit now and then, but it's usually me here on my own..." She looked around her relatively empty home, only a few childhood photos had lined the walls. With her job in a lab, Aqua never really had the time to decorate it, but she supposed she wasn't here all to often to matter.

Ventus seemed a little relieved at her words.

Taking a quick trip upstairs to grab an old nightshirt and pajama bottoms, Aqua soon returned and promptly gave Ventus the clothes to change. While he was in another room, Aqua grabbed a notebook and pen so she could write down a few things she needed to ask.

 

What was he doing in the lab?

What did he remember from his time?

Who was conducting the experiments there?

What were they doing?

 

But she knew personal information would be useful into doing research of who exactly he was, so, under all those questions, she began writing.

 

What's his full name?

How old?

Birthday?

Health?

 

 Aqua bit her lip, unable to think with the anxiety and thoughts about what had occurred in the past few hours. Then did she realize there were perfectly explainable realities. Was Ven sick to the point of having to be kept in a sterile lab? If so, were his parents aware of this? Did she just commit a crime based on what she had seen at face value? She was beginning to think she wouldn't have a job tomorrow.

Turning to look at Ventus, who had just entered the room, so small in her clothes, and with an expression of pure nervousness.

"Hey, could you come and sit here? I have a few questions..."

All she could think was how today was going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of dialogue. Mostly Aqua and Ven bonding.

The Lingering Will clenched his fist as the doors closed. She had taken him, one of those monsters had taken him, and now he had to suffer a dark fate. Why couldn't have he been strong enough for the child?  
  
Wait, he? When had he-no they, decided that? Thoughts flooded without meaning and purpose. He had no name, no feeling of the world outside the shell of the armour he inhabited, no way to say he was here. But none of that mattered.   
  
He had to save the boy.   
  
But how would he escape? He wasn't silly enough to not know a walking suit of armour wouldn't be suspicious, but what choice did he have? That boy could be in pain, so much danger, and who was there to care? What did that Woman even want with him anyway? He didn't want to think about the experiments that could possibly be done.

* * *

 

Ventus's eyes gazed around nervously, sometimes landing on the bookshelves, or even on a plant that had seen better days. He could tell the woman- Aqua, he now knew, was nervous too, not that he could blame her at all. She seemed to be tapping her pen against her notebook, thinking over her words carefully.   
  
"So, Ventus, let's start from the beginning." Taking a deep breath, she looked at him in the eyes. "What's your name? Your full name that is."   
  
"Just Ventus."   
  
She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Just Ventus? No last name?" Ventus sat and stared at her for a moment, thinking, before his gaze turned to the ground.   
  
"No..."   
  
Putting pen to paper, she wrote: Amnesia on personal information-name.   
  
"Ventus, how old are you?"   
  
"Ten-I think, I mean, that's what first comes to mind, so I assume that's right, although I'm not really sure and..."   
  
Aqua slowly nodded before writing his response down. "I'm going to make an assumption and say you don't remember anything about you or your past, other than you name that is?"   
  
He opened his mouth to speak, it lingered open for a moment before closing abruptly. "No, I don't. I'm sorry, I don't know why or how I don't remember, I just...don't."   
  
She looked down at her notepad, realising there was no point to the notes if there was nothing to base them from. "It's okay. It's not as if you can help what you remember or not. That's nobody's fault really. But Ven, I have to ask you something." Ventus looked up for a moment, confusion on his face. "Do you know what it is you were doing in that lab?"   
  
He flinched, whether it be at the thought of an unknown place or perhaps the memory of that strange armour, she didn't know. All she did was have the urge to hug the boy an tell him it would be okay when really, she didn't want to make a promise she couldn't keep.   
  
"...I don't know, all I saw was others in the tanks. I don't know what they were doing though, and what they were used for."   
  
Aqua froze. Were there others there? Had she not noticed in her scramble to get him to safety? Perhaps it was fear that stopped her from seeing into the multiple tanks that lined the room. Was she really that blind?   
  
"They... took something from me..." Now it was her turn to be confused. He held his hand to where his heart would be and clenched the fabric of the shirt. She really needed to get him some new clothes. "I don't know what. But it feels like they took a part of me away and put it somewhere else."   
  
Slowly, she set her notebook down and sat on the edge of her seat. "Ventus, you didn't have any kind of surgery, did you? Or any kind of scars to suggest that?"   
  
His eyes furrowed before slowly lifting the hem of his shirt. Aqua had to hold back a gasp. Right, where his heart would be was a scar, covering most of the area over the heart. Gradually, Aqua moved so she wouldn't scare him and slowly placed a hand upon his chest. She waited for a few seconds before her eyes went wide.   
  
There was no heartbeat. Nothing could make sense of what was going on. Why was there no heartbeat? Quickly, she grabbed his wrist and felt for his pulse. A slow beat drummed against his wrist. Had his body somehow find out a way to work without his heart actually working? Was his heart even inside his body? How was blood circulating?   
  
"Uh... Aqua? What's going on?" Aqua let go of his wrist, her face pale and her brows furrowed in thought.   
  
"I don't know, but somehow, you don't have a heartbeat. That should be impossible, and there are no typical surgical scars to suggest something is keeping you alive." The woman sat back against her chair in thought. How could this happen? She prayed that this wasn't the case of some extremely sick kid. "You don't happen to know what that armoured guy was, do you?"   
  
Ventus shook his head. "No. I don't. All I know is he's the one who had broken me out of that tank thing." Aqua bolted up straight, head dizzy from the sudden movement.   
  
"It... broke you out? He's the one that freed you? Do you know why?" Upon hearing her words, he shook his head again. He really didn't know anything, she thought.

* * *

"What do you mean there's no footage?" Xemnas yelled at his assistant, upon learning that all CCTV had been disabled.   
  
Swallowing, Isa replied, "Sir, I really don't know. It's like something hacked the mainframe from the outside, and well, it couldn't have been Namine, she doesn't have the permissions on the main terminal to do this."   
  
Xemnas let out a frustrated sigh. "Rely on outside world CCTV then, if nothing shows up, we have a traitor covering up tracks."   
  
"Understood, Sir."   
  
Long after his boss had left to do God knows what, Isa moved towards a door behind one of the many tanks and opened it to see stairs heading down, although not far. Soon enough, he came to a secluded office, papers and monitors stacked up to the ceiling.   
  
"Good job, they have no idea it's her." He complimented to his friend.   
  
"Well, that's my job isn't it." The redhead remarked, taking a scoop of some kind of ice cream. "If any of them get free, cover their tracks and help them gain their freedom. That's why we're here, right?" Lea turned to face his oldest friend.   
  
Isa sighed before leaning against a stack of books. "We have to make sure the least amount of people suffer, Lea. We can't let anyone gets hurt because of their incompetence and lack of morals."   
  
"Yeah, Yeah. I get it." He said before swerving around to look back at the monitors. "Wait... Who is that? It can't be the kid so who...?" Lea leaned closer to the screen, and Isa had almost pulled him away by the collar till he noticed it too.   
  
The boy looked practically the same as Ventus, hair sticking out and all, except he had seemed older. It was strange enough that Lea leaned back in thought.   
  
"Check the database for his face," Isa said quickly, and Lea got to work. There were only two matches. The kid and the guy that was near the reception now. But who was he?   
  
"Uh, according to the database, if he isn't the kid... then his name is 'Roxas.' and judging by how quickly he appeared, he's like Namine. Only half a soul." Lea read quickly through the files.

* * *

"For now, your job is to take over for Namine for the rest of the day. It can't look suspicious." Xemnas had told the boy, "To anyone that may ask, you are the staff that is on hold in the case Namine cannot attend. Understand?" 'Roxas' as he was named, had an expression of distance. Though Xemnas had guessed that was what happened if you rushed through the process within a day. They had no real personality, and his was yet to form.   
  
"Got it." A simple reply came. Obediently, he sat down in what was Namine's chair and looked to the terminal in front of him. "I just sign people in and out?" Xemnas nodded and left Roxas to work, who soon found Namine's game files with Solitaire and Minesweeper. He ended up playing the games for the rest of the day.   
  
Xemnas had soon set his path to Miss Aqua's lab to see how she was doing and hopefully would now accept his offer of working in his lab now that Ansem was gone. He arrived only to find the lab empty and devoid of life. At first, he thought maybe she had gone to lunch, but it was still early morning, so the idea was unlikely.   
  
The realisation set in as he raced back to the reception, where Roxas quickly shut down his game.   
  
"Get the clocking in and out details for Miss Aqua, did she clock out today?" When Roxas had shown him that she hadn't been clocked out, Xemnas demanded that she was looked for around the building. Xemnas had hoped he would have more time before she realised he had involvement in Ansem's disappearance. But she really was a smart woman. 

* * *

Aqua set down both plates on the table, sitting down opposite the child. He glanced down at the plate, before looking back at Aqua, who had already grabbed her own sandwich. As if he was waiting for permission.   
  
"Go on, dig in. I'm not going to ask you to wait for my permission to eat." Upon seeing his reluctance and continued staring at his sandwich, a thought came across her mind. "Wait. You do know how to eat, right?"   
  
"Oh! No, I do know how. Its just I'm..." She waited for him to finish. "Cautious."   
  
Smiling and setting down her food, Aqua sat back. A new habit of her's she noticed. "Well, I can't blame you on that one. I'm a stranger, and you don't know me, just as much as I don't know you."   
  
He nervously smiled as he looked up at her. How could Ventus not be afraid after what he's gone through?   
  
"Can I ask you a question?"   
  
"Huh?" His head tilted sideways in a questioning manner.   
  
"About the Armour again, do you know why it would break you out, or even what triggered it to attack you specifically? And if it was working for those guys where you were kept?"   
  
Exhaling, Ventus shrugged for what must of have been the tenth time that day.   
  
"No, not at all. All I really remember is, moments before I was freed, I could... Ah, how do I explain this? Feel his movements around me?" He waved his hands slightly, hoping to get the idea across to Aqua, who nodded in understanding. "I remember falling out the tank, but I don't think any glass caught me because the Armour stopped that from happening." Ventus caught his breath for a moment. "I think... It wasn't working for them, rather...working against them. Helping those who were like me. Trapped in a lab. Also, I... think it came after us earlier because, well..."   
  
"It was trying to save you because it thought I was a threat..." Aqua finished for him, understanding what he had meant, and maybe the Armour's actions. "That's why it went after us because I had taken you. Which was... in a panic to get away from it, I will admit..."   
  
Ventus muttered his agreement before picking up the food that Aqua had prepared. Taking a bite into an apple and swallowing, he began "So...what is it do you think those scientists were doing down there and with me? I don't think it was anything good... oh! I'm not saying you're a bad person, just rather the people you work for and-"   
  
Laughing at his rambling, she spoke, "Ventus, I get it, you mean to harm to anyone... you're just... looking for the right words." Aqua looked to him with a smile, though it turned into a slight frown. "As for what they were doing with you... I don't know. At first, I thought maybe they could have taken you in because you could be really sick. But... then I saw the scar on your chest and the fact that you don't have a heartbeat... Something tells me this isn't a typical sterilised patient. If it were, it wouldn't be carried out in a scientific research building. It would be in a hospital that specialises in that kind of stuff."   
  
Ventus bit his lip and gazed down at the table. "I think you're right. I... I want to help those who are still going through what I did. But under the guess that this isn't hospital research, I doubt this is even allowed. We probably would need to go to a library to do some research before we told authorities though... and...proof. They wouldn't take it without it."   
  
Aqua nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right about that one, Ventus. We could also probably do a fair amount on a computer if-"   
  
"A computer?" He looked at her confused, unsure of the meaning.   
  
Aqua frowned for a moment. "Yeah. The thing you go on the internet with? You can send emails, play games, watch videos..." This was the moment she realised he seemed to get more confused the more she explained. "..You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"   
  
"No..."   
  
"Oh... Well... It does those things and a lot more. Usually, kids your age tend to spend a lot of time on them, but not you, I guess. I wonder why you don't know... most people born in the last thirty years knows about them. Then again, you don't really remember much, do you?" She smiled, hoping he would grow accustomed to talking to her.   
  
At that moment, her phone had buzzed on the table beside her, and she briefly looked at the notification, to find a family friend had messaged her. It wasn't often Kairi would message her, so Aqua looked at it immediately, while Ventus looked at her with curiosity.   
  
_Hey Aqua! It's been a while, how are you doing?_   
  
_I'm good. Kairi, how are you doing? It's been a while since we've spoken, is everything okay?_   
  
_Yeah,  I was just wondering if I could ask you a question?_   
  
_Aqua looked at the question curiously._   
  
_Sure, go ahead!_   
  
_I was wondering if you had heard of 'The Ethereal Theory'?_   
  
At that moment, her heart had dropped, and she froze. How had Kairi found out about that theory? Why was she asking about it? Was she safe?   
  
_Where did you hear about that? Why do you want to know?_   
  
_Oh, one of our teachers wanted us to do research into a long-dead theory, and there isn't really much information on the internet, so I was wondering if you knew anything that could help us with the paper?_   
  
_She swallowed nervously before typing her message out._   
  
_No, sorry. It's not really my area and well... you know my dad doesn't talk about his work so... I'm sorry I can't help more!_   
  
_That's okay! Thanks anyway! Is it alright if me and the squad visit soon?_   
  
Aqua knew by 'The squad' she had meant Sora and Riku, both kind individuals who Kairi had known for most of her life. She looked to Ventus, who was wondering what was going on, and mostly what was in her hand. Aqua was going to tell Kairi she would be busy with work, but she stopped. If she was going to find anything about what was going on, the answers were in that lab. She couldn't take the kid with her...   
  
_I'm busy at work for the next few days but... Do you think you could babysit for me?_

* * *

Kairi's eyes widened slightly, she hadn't expected that. As far as she could remember, Aqua never really had anything that needed taking care of for a long time. What had changed since she had last seen her?   
  
"Aqua asked me if I could babysit tomorrow..." The redhead said aloud, both Sora and Riku looking up from the laptop they were looking at in a fruitless search for anything on the theory. "It's odd. She doesn't have any pets or kids that need looking after..."   
  
Riku tilted his head before speaking. "You sure she hasn't taken in a cat or something? And she definitely has no children?"   
  
Kairi typed quickly. "She... she says it's a kid she's looking after for now, but she's been called into work. She also said you guys could come and she's paying us all... but what I don't get is, who is this kid?"   
  
"Maybe it's someone she had to treat, you know, she works as a scientist right?" Sora smiled, hoping to make the odd situation sound better. "Aqua works to help other people, after all!"   
  
Shaking his head, Riku spoke, "No, she works with...things that don't involve treating humans. Doesn't she work in a research building? Not something that would have human testing at the site?"   
  
"No... she doesn't..."   
  
"Tell her we'll all be there, and that includes you Sora!"   
  
"Wha-? Wait, don't I get a say in this? Not saying I wouldn't but, I thought we were going to get ice cream tomorrow..." Sora complained, chewing on his pen.   
  
Kairi sighed. "We can get it, we'll just have to bring the kid with us."

* * *

"What's that in your hand?" Ventus asked curiously, trying to get a better view of what was on her screen.   
  
"It's my phone." She went to the home screen before showing him. "I was just messaging a friend of mine. She and her friends are going to have to look after you tomorrow while I go to the lab to find some things out, okay?"   
  
Ventus seemed to panic for a moment at her words. "But... I don't know them and... what if one of those guys come for me? I-"   
  
"Ventus, I can't help you if I have no proof. I... can't take you back to that lab either. I can't risk a misassumption that the armour was trying to help you, or just walk you through the front door to the people who were experimenting with you..."   
  
He looked reluctant at first, but eventually, he agreed and turned his focus back to the phone. "You said it was your 'phone'... Like a telephone?"   
  
Aqua nodded. "Yep, it's basically a fancy version of that, and it doesn't have any wires attached." She almost laughed. It was almost like he had belonged in the past with his lack of information on technology. Aqua almost laughed towards her thoughts, but then she stopped abruptly.   
  
Belonged in the past.   
  
She had a feeling she now knew where to start.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little late, I had a few problems writing this, and It's not as good or as fleshed out as I would like...

Aqua had almost freaked out that morning when she had walked down the stairs to find a kid sleeping on her sofa. That was till she had remembered previous events, that is. Ventus was still peacefully asleep for the most part, although he seemed to toss and turn a lot as he dreamt. She considered for a moment if she should wake him up, but he didn’t seem to be having a bad dream, so Aqua soon thought against it. As quietly as she could, she tried to make breakfast in hopes that she wouldn’t wake the poor boy up. That is until she heard his voice

“Aqua?” His groggy tone reached her ears, the blanket still pulled up above his shoulders. If she hadn’t known better and seen the blond spiky hair, Aqua would have said there wasn’t actually a child sleeping on her sofa. 

Looking at him at that moment, she wasn’t sure she wanted to consider the possibility of him being some preserved kid who was in a cryo state until yesterday morning. But she supposed it was a start for… well, whatever was going on. Leaning against the counter of her kitchen, she waited for a moment for the young boy to wake up fully.

“Good morning, Ventus.” She smiled as he seemed to really notice that she was in the room, and not a figment of his imagination. Politely, he smiled back, still clearly nervous of who exactly she was. After all, she did work in the same building he was kept for God knows how long.

“Good morning, Aqua. Uh, or Miss Aqua, if you prefer, Ma’am.” Ventus chuckled nervously and he seemed to lace his fingers out of habit, perhaps as a way to deal with the anxiety of a foreign environment and things he couldn’t understand just yet. Aqua wasn’t even sure how she was going to explain what a computer was, or what it even did. 

Hearing the nickname she so much detested, she scoffed. “Aqua, please. The only one who calls me ‘Miss Aqua’ is a guy I hate. Trust me, I’m forever going to be okay just being called Aqua… and well, you don’t have to be so formal, and I get that it may be hard for you not to, but we’ll get there in the end, okay?” Ventus seemed to think over Aqua’s words for a moment before nodding a simple ‘okay’ in understanding before sitting upright. “You hungry? I’m just about to make breakfast, although I have no idea what you like to eat, other than sandwiches that are.”

Ventus laughed and a smile spread across his face. “Are you saying I can’t have sandwiches for breakfast?” He questioned, a fake pout that would have been thought to be real if it weren't for the joy sparkling in his eyes.

Laughing, Aqua played along. “Well, you could. But I wouldn't recommend it after the amount we ate yesterday.” In her daze about the information she may have discerned, Aqua feared she’d end up burning down the house with her confusion and absent mind on the thought of Ventus possibly being born a very long time ago. So in the end, they both just settled for sandwiches and tea. Neither of them knew what to do and didn’t complain.

After breakfast was done and past, Aqua came to a realisation of a problem that wouldn’t go without some questions from Kairi. Why was he in her care? Most of all… why was he wearing some old nightclothes of Aqua’s? The woman was fairly sure she didn’t have any clothes that would fit him better and the time for her to leave for work was quickly approaching. She had perhaps an hour or two before Kairi arrived and she had no solution. Very quickly did she realise she would have to go out and get clothes so no suspicion would arise as to his situation, and to have as little questions asked as possible.

Ventus looked awkward as he sat in her car, pyjamas too big for him as she drove into town in hopes of finding a store that would be open early in the morning. When she had found one, she had grabbed the boy by the hand, quickly pulling him in and looking around for clothes that would fit.

“Let me know if you see anything you like, okay?” Aqua said as she looked down at him. Ventus replied with a simple ‘uh-huh’ before his attention was turned to t-shirts and jackets around the place. Soon enough they had gathered enough stuff to last Ventus maybe a week or so. Clicking the unlock button on her phone, Aqua had almost sworn when she had seen the time. Only about half an hour before Kairi would go to her house with her friends. Swiftly, she had paid for whatever she and Ventus had picked up, and he soon was wearing a checkered Green and white shirt and jeans, along with a green hoodie. She supposed green was his colour upon looking at the outfit he had picked. Aqua had no complaints, as she often dressed in blue colours to match her hair.

Aqua was certain she had almost broken the speed limit as she tried to reach home before Kairi would arrive. A sigh of relief was apparent as she threw herself on her sofa, with no sight of Kairi yet, nevertheless, she realised how close they had cut it as a knock on the door had caught their attention. They looked at each other for a moment.

“Stay here while I answer the door, okay?” Ventus nodded as Aqua got up to walk to the door.

Opening the door to greet her friend and almost jumped back in surprise when Xemnas was in front of her, rather than a redhead teenage girl. She thought he must have noticed her surprise, as he raised his hands and chuckled as if to say ‘Don’t worry I’m not a threat’. But after the events of yesterday morning, Aqua knew better than to fall for a trick and put her guard down.

“Hello, Miss Aqua, I apologise for the intrusion but you see, I was worried about your wellbeing.” Aqua’s surprise turned into a frown after he had mentioned being concerned for her safety. Tilting her head in confusion, and making sure her doorway was blocked by her body, she opened her mouth to speak but closed it as she thought of a response. The woman hoped he wasn’t here to collect Ventus and didn’t intend on fighting her to get to him. While Aqua had trained in martial arts as a teenager, she wasn’t set on fighting anyone every time she had a problem with them. “Yesterday, you clocked out unusually early and I was wondering if you were well, especially after Ansem decided to retire, that is. I understand it must be traumatic to see a dear colleague-”

“Retire? In the letter he left me, he had said he quit.” Aqua raised an eyebrow in question. For a moment she had thought she had caught him out in the lie but he only smiled in the expression she had always wanted to punch him in the face for.

“Ah, I see. I must have heard incorrectly. I thought he had retired with his age, and sometimes, unexpected things do happen. But I digress. I hope you are in good health and will return to work today, unless you require some time to adjust to the sudden changes that may occur in your lab?” He smirked as he looked at her in the eyes. Aqua felt in her gut that he knew more than he was letting on, and she could only pray he had no idea about Ventus’s whereabouts.

Forcing herself to smile, she nodded and chuckled to show her supposed enthusiasm for the unexpected visit. “No, that’s not necessary. I’ll be in later today, I just have to wait for someone to pick up something before I go into work today. I hope you can excuse me for an hour or two. Something unexpected did come up and I had to clock out early.” 

Xemnas nodded, as if he understood what she meant, before grabbing one of her hands and held it with both of his. Aqua did her best not to jump back and tug her hand out of his, but she resisted nevertheless. He looked her in the eyes and smiled. “I understand. I just hope whatever problem came up in the past, will be resolved soon.” He let go of her hand before turning to leave. “I will see you later at work, Miss Aqua.”

She closed the door before giving a reply, unsure she could spend another moment with his infuriating personality. Returning to Ventus, he was sat on the sofa, curled up with his legs tucked in and his head resting on his knees. It wouldn’t take a genius to know he was terrified of coming into contact with other people, but she reassured him that no harm would come to him while he was in her care. 

“I don’t like the man who was at the door.” He whispered, glancing at the woman.

“Yeah, I don’t like him either.” She replied, putting an arm around him in a protective manner. Aqua had known herself to be kinder to those younger than her, her father even telling her that she had an ‘older sister’ aura about her when it came to friends. The woman knew that she had to take up that role in this situation. “But don’t worry, okay? He’s not going to come near you.”

The ‘okay’ he had replied with had almost broken her heart, he sounded so bad and broken up over the fear of being found by those who would want to use him in some kind of sick experiment. For a moment she questioned what he was even doing there, and why was he even preserved in that lab for so long anyway? And for how long had he been there? She had hoped it wouldn’t be anything over twenty years, giving hope that Aqua may be able to find his parents and be able to get an explanation as to why he was there. The woman hoped she would find out all the answers eventually.

Around ten minutes later did she hear another knock on the door, and thankfully this time it was a teenage girl, smiling happily along with her friends. Sora seemed to be shifting from side to side like he always did out habit, while Riku just smiled and waved awkwardly. 

“Aqua! How are you doing?” Kairi exclaimed as she embraced Aqua in a long-needed hug. How long had it been since she and Kairi had seen each other face to face? A year now, perhaps more? Although all she could really think was how Kairi had grown since the last time they had met.

Ushering them inside, Aqua looked at them all in the eyes, wanting to be certain none of them would do Ventus any harm before letting them see him. “First things first, I have to be sure you are all okay with this, and well. There’s a few things you guys need to know first before you guys see Ventus.” They all looked towards each other, clearly confused, but allowed her to continue anyway. “Ventus’ condition… is rather unique… I can’t explain or even say what it is exactly, but what you need to know is this: He’s… been around more than one bad person, and he may not react to you guys well at first. All I’m asking is that you keep your distance at first and let him get closer to you, rather than the other way around.”

Riku tensed up. What had happened to this kid? What kind of people had he been around to have that kind of reaction? Riku clenched his fist in his subconscious, thoughts of his own past swirling around his head, though he quickly put them down. If this kid was suffering like he once did, it was up to him to let him know it was going to be okay.

Small explanations and a few tweaks to his story, Aqua hesitantly walked out the door, waving Kairi goodbye. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ventus watching her leave, his eyes wide with hurt. Slowly, she smiled and waved, hoping it would give the impression of everything being okay, but this seemed to have the opposite effect.

* * *

 

Ventus bit his lip, then his attention was turned from the window to the door, where he could hear voices talking in quiet discussion. He would admit he was afraid, but why of them? Aqua had already told him they were good people, so what was it that made him so scared? Perhaps it was the fear of the unknown, or maybe from his own experiences, but something was screaming at him to hide. Or even leave to find what was taken from him. He wasn’t sure he could describe what he was feeling, but whatever he felt, it was terrifying.

Swallowing nervously, his gaze turned to the door as it opened.

* * *

 

Aqua looked up at the building she had entered many times. A sense of insecurity came over her as she approached the entrance. How could she not after what she knew now? When her father had asked her to take on a path of science and discovery, she hadn’t thought that things would come to this, back then, she had thought that her father simply had wanted her to follow in his footsteps. He had co-founded the company she worked for, after all, and the woman had no doubt that helped land her such a position in one of the labs easily.

Her pass almost cracked under the pressure in which she was holding it. Every instinct was now telling her to leave, but she pressed on despite her former feeling of security left as she entered the building. Nervously she handed out her pass to clock in, not really paying any attention to who she was giving it to till she heard a voice.

“Hey, Lady. Take your pass-badge thing back.” 

Looking at who she had given her pass to, she froze upon looking at him. Aqua was almost certain she was dreaming when the boy glared at her, pass still in hand. The boy had looked exactly like Ventus did, only older. Just as Aqua was about to open her mouth to question him, a voice from behind made her jump.

“Ah, Miss Aqua, I’m glad to see you arrived here safely.” Xemnas smiled, but anger overcame her. Ignoring him, she turned back to the desk where instead of the boy, Namine looked flustered. She was in the place of the boy, but how was that possible? A teenage boy was in her spot moments ago, yet he was nowhere to be seen, had her imagination whipped him up under stress? Is that why he looked like Ventus? Namine shakily held up her pass for Aqua to take, who took it slowly to make sure she wasn’t seeing random people in one place. The blonde looked frightened, though Aqua sensed that was because of her anger towards Xemnas, who seemed oblivious to the whole ordeal.

“M… morning, Sir.” She replied politely, having no intention of upsetting the same person who she was investigating. Aqua nodded then walked to her lab, thinking over what had just happened.

Meanwhile, as soon as Aqua had left the reception, he turned a stern gaze towards Namine, who looked as surprised as Aqua did.

“You… can come out now.”

Slowly rising, Roxas had an eyebrow raised, looking fairly annoyed from being shoved suddenly under a desk. Despite this, Roxas did seem curious as to why it had happened, and why the woman had looked at him as if he had seen a ghost.

* * *

 

Shaking her head as she walked down the hallways, as she reached her lab, Aqua glanced around to make sure she wasn’t being followed, then made her way to Xemnas’s lab. Upon going down in the elevator and arriving down to the door, the first thing she noticed was that the door seemed to be fixed. Biting her lip, she knew that if she scanned her pass, she would be easily traceable. But how to get around this problem, she didn’t know.

Looking up did Aqua notice something, there was no camera system guarding the entrance. Why was that the case? Surely if such experiments were being carried out… no. There had to be some kind of camera system that wasn’t obvious, in which case, why hadn’t anyone been alerted yet?

* * *

 

Lea leaned back as he watched the woman, who seemed to be glancing around, looking for cameras. He laughed, knowing she wouldn’t be able to find one but would be suspicious of one. The redhead had to admit, she must have had guts, coming back to where she was attacked and took a kid in the process. He stared curiously, she seemed to be figuring something out. It was then Lea decided to make this more interesting and typed into a keyboard.

Aqua was surprised when she heard the beep and the sound of the lock disengaging. They were inviting her in now? Slowly, she touched the handle before pushing the door open. It was as dim as it were before as if the lights were purposely hiding what could be in the shadows. The last thing she wanted was the strange armour sneaking up on her, though she doubted that was possible with the noise it would have to make while walking. 

Grabbing a small pocket flashlight, she used it’s light to look around the room. Walking towards where she was certain she found the kid last time, Aqua froze when she heard footsteps coming towards her. Where could she hide? There was nowhere to do so, she couldn’t fit behind the tanks as Ventus could...she had no choice then. Standing her ground, she waited till the armour came into view, looking a ruined as before. 

It stopped upon seeing her, before making a steady approach. This is when Aqua decided this was her only chance to reason with it.

“Hey… uh, listen, I… It’s about that boy. You helped him, didn’t you?” 

Her words didn’t reach the armour, which continued his approach. Get the boy, save the boy, stop them from getting anyone else hurt. The woman was trying to talk to him, but why should she want to talk to him? She was with them, was she not? Why? Why? Why? He could feel the weight of his shell crumbling with every second, every step making the vessel crumble faster. But that didn’t matter, he had to save the boy. She stepped back, obviously afraid. Good, she should be afraid, he thought, he needed to save- why has she returned? Surely she must have known he would still be here, so why?

Just then did one of his leg contraptions break and he collapses to the ground, fearing he would break more if he touched the floor, he almost would have broken his vizor completely, if it were not for the woman rushing forward and holding him up. Why was she helping him? They only caused pain…

“Careful, one of your joints broke under your own weight… I think… I’m not an engineer but… I think you might be in dire need of maintenance…” She chuckled. Surprised, the armour turned to look at her in an awkward stare. Was she… trying to make light fun of their situation? Seeming to notice his confusion, she swallowed. “Sorry…” Her speech was quiet, and for a moment, the armour felt somewhat guilty for making her afraid. But why was that the case?

Once he was in a position where no more parts of his shell would break, Aqua looked around the lab until she found what she was looking for. 

“Aha!” She exclaimed as she held up a roll of duct tape. Although usually used to seal up boxes and lab equipment, Aqua supposed it would work quite well for the situation. Settling down next to him, Aqua did the best he could in using the tape to keep the joint from breaking any further.

The plethora of souls, on the other hand, hand no idea what to do next. A moment ago he was after her, trying to get information, and possibly murder her, yet here she was, trying to make sure he wouldn’t break apart any further. He couldn’t help but think how strange it was, and he began to think maybe he had got the wrong idea about the woman. But why did she take the boy? To help him escape? Was she not with those who had put him there in the first place?

Tapping her on the head to get her attention, as he was unable to speak, he tilted his head in confusion as to what she was doing. The woman didn’t seem to understand what she was asking before realisation came across her face.

“Hang on, you can’t speak, can you?” Shaking his head, he pointed to the duct tape that was now attached to his armour before turning his hand over as if to ask why. “Well… for one, you’re literally breaking into pieces, secondly, we need to talk about Ventus, the kid that I took with me when I ran from you. Might I add that you chasing us even slowly was scary, so no more creepy coming out of the shadows.”

If he had a face to show expression, he was certain he would look flabbergasted at her words and unsure of how to respond to her words. Just as he was about to try to give a response, the sound in the distance stopped them in their tracks.

The steps got closer. 

And closer.

And closer.


	5. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to describe this one. Plot, I guess?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I am so so sorry there was not a chapter last week, my brain was empty and I just couldn't seem to get the ideas down. Also, it's a bit shorter this chapter, so please forgive me for that!

Ventus cannot be sure if he has been scared many times before. But as the doorknob turned and he watched the door slowly open, he couldn't help but swallow in anticipation for what was to come. Thoughts came and went within a few seconds as the door opened. How did he address them? What were their names? Their likes? Dislikes? The boy wasn't sure if that came from a practised instinct, or if he was just curious. Nevertheless, he found his own eyes being drawn the floor, fear getting the better of him.

First, a boy with spiky hair poking out in all directions made himself known. Ventus could hear a woman almost shouting 'Sora! Not yet!' but 'Sora' seemed to have had ignored his friends' plea, and curious eyes met Ventus' figure.

"Hey there! You must be Ventus, right? I'm Sora! I'll be your friendly babysitter from here on out so-" Ventus could only raise an eyebrow as he watched Sora be dragged back through the doorway by a guy who just seemed used to Sora doing things like this. 

Unsure of what to do, Ventus blinked at the spot where the two people were mere moments ago. Putting his hands on his lap, he straightened his back in some attempt to seem more mature and not like an anxiety-ridden kid. Some small voice in the back of his mind told him to stay quiet and listen to whoever told him what to do. Where that voice originated from, he didn't know.

Taking a deep breath, he stood up before slowly approaching the door, he held his hand up to the handle for a moment, debating if it would be okay to be the one to open the door.

Hesitantly, he turned the doorknob before gently pushing it open. As he opened the door a crack, he could see the three people Aqua had mentioned, not yet noticing him. 

The Girl seemed to be scolding Sora, annoyed that he had gone to see Ventus without thinking, while the other guy just watched, amused by the whole ordeal. A few seconds went by before the silver-haired boy seemed to notice Ventus by the door. Ventus would have thought his hair colour strange if it were not for the fact his own hair stuck out in odd directions.

Looking between his two friends, and to the kid just showing himself outside of the door, Riku shrugged before slowly going around his friends, so he doesn’t get caught in the crossfire. The kid looked slightly alarmed at Riku's presence, so he kept a small distance between them and went on his knee to the kid's height, hoping Ventus would feel more comfortable. 

"Uh... Sorry about those guys. Sora likes to jump ahead a lot, so me and Kairi have to try and keep him inline sometimes, But I digress, I'm Riku. You're Ventus, right? Aqua... didn't really say a lot about you but, I'm sure I'll find out eventually." 

"Um..." Ventus looked behind Riku to see Sora and Kairi, frozen mid-fight only after realising he was standing there, using the door as a shield. "Y-Yeah, I, uh..." Quickly, Sora and Kairi straightened up, hoping not to be seen as awkward or dangerous by the boy, who seemed to be having a difficult time processing others in the room. Riku smiled, hoping it would encourage him. After Ventus had looked to the ground with no response, Riku stood up. 

Looking to Sora and Kairi, who had awkward smiles on their face, Riku began talking again. "Well I'm Riku, and that's Sora, but you knew that already. So that would just leave Kairi over there." Kairi smiled and waved. 

Ventus wasn't sure what to think about their forced smiles in the awkwardness of it all and hoped he wasn't being an inconvenience to them. Smiling back, he wondered what to do next.

* * *

 

Aqua's heart was beating faster and faster with every second as the steps got closer and closer. Knowing she couldn't run to the door like last time, she began to panic. Where could she go? What would happen to her now? To Ventus? Just as she was about to break down into a panic, she felt a tug on her coat. Looking down at the armour, he pointed in the direction where she couldn't see without a light. Confused, she was about to question what he had meant before, without warning, he had grabbed her wrist and shakily stood up. The armour began pulling her along to the darkness, Aqua wasn't sure she had any choice in the matter as she flicked the flashlight off. As her own sight of vision was useless in the dark, she assumed the armour could see, or at least had an idea of where he was going. When he had stopped, he seemed to lean against something, holding Aqua close. Nothing could be seen, but everything could be heard.

Any voices that could be heard were muffled, she wondered how far the armour had taken her. Aqua supposed this had confirmed he didn't work for them. But that begged the question, why was he here? Why hide her when before he had tried to hurt her, and possibly Ventus? Had he realised she didn't work for them?  "What's going on?" She whispered before a hand met her mouth, making her stay quiet. Easy for the guy who doesn't talk, she thought.

She couldn't guess how long it had been, but the armour seemed to have known when whoever it was had disappeared. Soon enough, she was out of the darkness again, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed by the fact she hadn't been able to discern any of the words spoken. But Aqua knew her search for the truth wasn't over yet. Looking at the cabinets and the desk in the room, wearily, she attempted to open a draw, but it was locked. Aqua was unsure of what she had expected. Instead, she opted for looking through the files sat upon the desk, flicking through them with her flashlight, she skimmed over the words.

One of the files that piqued her interest was one that looked rather old, the ink having faded over time. Having difficulty to hold the flashlight while flicking through the document, she looked over to the armour.

"Hey, could you hold this for me?" Aqua held out the light for him to hold, who took it carefully, almost dropping it in the process. Upon being able to get a decent look at the document, Aqua could only make out bits and pieces of information from the falling apart paper. 

'This paper contains information regarding the theory of soul movement and preservation of soul and personality. Any eventuality, including patient death, will be covered in terms of cremation and electrical impulses if the body or soul should they grow too weak to be used in this experiment.'

Aqua tried squinting as she read further. She knew this confirmed the fact that human experiments had been done in this theory's name, but what other information she could obtain, was lost to time as the letters got more and more faded as she read on. Time was also something she knew she would need if she were to uncover the faded letters words and phrases. Carefully place them in a folder, Aqua picked it up before turning into the direction of the door, only to be tapped on the shoulder. Almost jumping out of her skin, it was only then did she remember her armoured companion.

"Oh, uh... we never had that talk about Ventus, did we?" Biting her lip, she looked back at the door for a moment, before turning back to the armour. "Um... Stay behind me and stay close. I'll go ahead for a moment to check it's clear, if it is, follow, if not, come back here.

For a moment, he was perplexed as to if he should do as she said, but after some thought, the armour nodded in understanding before following her to the door.

Slowly walking towards the elevator, she wondered for a moment if someone was watching her. Someone had to have opened the door earlier for her, so who did it? Aqua was starting to realise there was a lot of questions outweighing the answers. But most of all, she was surprised as to how well the duct tape was holding the leg joint together. Aqua glanced back to see the armour, decrepit as it looked, still continuing on. It was a miracle enough that it was still standing, let alone walking.

With every step, Aqua's heartbeat grew faster and faster. Then again, she supposed she had never had a reason for bringing a walking suit of armour. Some part of her hoped she was right in thinking there was nothing inside him. Every step left a hollow ring echoing through his body, and the woman had no current explanation for that other than the possibility of him being empty inside.

The quiet walk to her own lab was probably one of the scariest things that she had ever done. She was sure she was going to be sent to an early grave when she had shoved the armour into a closet with cleaning supplies because a colleague was walking by. After that, Aqua was thankful for no more obstructions in their path.

Upon entering her lab, Aqua thought about Ansem for a moment, and a feeling of grief overtook her as she thought about the possibility of his situation. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Aqua grabbed some paper and a pen, before helping the armour sit against the wall. Handing him the items in her hands, she asked him to write answers down to her questions.

The armour himself was anxious about what was going on, he had many questions, although he wasn't sure what many of them were. If he had a body made of flesh and bone, he was sure he would quiver in fear of the situation. He wondered for a moment what it would be like to have a fight or flight instinct. 

His gaze fell upon the paper in front of him. Over time, his simple thoughts had gained coherence and soon, entire sentences and memories were floating around in his mind, but now did he really have to display those thoughts and feelings he had felt on the paper before him?

Looking up to the woman before him, she seemed to be patiently waiting, perhaps organising her own thoughts together. Some instinct of his found him questioning if he trusted her, perhaps in those few moments, he viewed her as much of a victim as the boy was, but what if he was wrong? What if he had simply assumed good in her and she really was working for them? What if they found a way to destroy him? Bound him? What if that boy was truly lost in the pile of victims they had made in their ‘research’? 

Was it fear and distrust which came over him? Was it the anger at those who had wronged innocent souls? What could describe the unimaginable pain that he himself had felt as he watched innocents be destroyed from the dark shadows where he hid when the scientists were around? How many more would suffer as no one cared or did anything to save them?

Almost scaring himself, he quickly stood up, causing the woman snap out of her thoughts and back against a desk as he marched towards her, armour cracking with every movement. Aqua herself wasn’t sure what to make of anything, but the fear that shot through her body when the armour had suddenly picked himself up was undeniable. Gasping in surprise, she backed up till her body had hit a desk behind her, trapping her as all logic seemed to disappear when her fear had arose.

For him, no logic arose as he grabbed her collar, holding her up. For her, it was nothing but pure fear from her feet barely touching the ground. No matter how she shifted her weight, or clung on to his arm in hopes he would see her struggle, his grip did not falter, his anger fueling his instinct to put and end to everything, to complete his need to make sure every last one suffered.

“H-hey! Calm down, let’s talk about this…” Reasoning didn’t seem to work even as she tried to move her body, in some pitiful attempt to get free. “Listen-ugh, I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to ask questions! So, please! Put me down!”

Kill her, were his only thoughts, but what was stopping him? Was it the look on her face? Anybody in her situation would reason with him… All he had to do… was kill her… but why? Why did he want her death? He wasn’t a monster like those down it that lab… He didn’t want to be. Just as he was about to put her down, a surprisingly powerful kick to his stomach area caused a crack to spread throughout his armor, panicking, he dropped Aqua, who fairly gracefully, landed on the floor, unlike him, who had crashed to the floor.

Upon seeing him crash to the ground, Aqua herself had almost panicked when she had saw the damage she herself had caused, and it didn’t come without feelings of guilt, despite the fact he had tried to kill her moments ago.

“Oops…” she had muttered under her breath as she had noticed the extent of the damages. Aqua was going to need more duct tape.

* * *

 

Kairi was beginning to wonder how on earth she was going to raise her own kids if she ever had any, with the bouncing ball of energy that was Sora, constantly moving from one area to the next. Riku, on the other hand, felt like simply going home and laying down after what seemed to be a silly attempt on Sora’s part to socialise with the kid.

Just how uncomfortable he was could be easily seen as he peaked out from the door. But just as the kid was seeming to start being more comfortable around them, Sora had the great idea of talking to him at hundreds of miles per hour. In response, Ventus had closed himself in the room rather quickly, and that left Kairi and Riku scolding Sora for jumping too it again.

Ventus felt as if everything was going to crumble around him. How had he let himself fall apart so quickly? He knew none of them had meant any harm when speaking to him, some were just… livelier than others. 

Despite his previous encounter, Ventus knew he would have to talk again to them eventually, stepping towards the door, a noise from behind made him stop. He didn’t dare turn around, fearful of what he would see. As he quickly stepped forwards towards the door in order to get to a place where he would feel safer, two hands covered his eyes in a playful manner and laughter, not unlike his own, could be heard.

“Found you!”

He gasped and bolted forwards, only to be pulled back by a considerable amount of force. “Hey! Don’t go yet!”

Fear had stopped him in his tracks, but he knew deep inside it was more than fear that had stopped him. Deep in his chest he could feel the steady thump of a heartbeat, when moments ago, he didn’t have one. Slowly, he turned around to see a familiar face, but how was that possible? Wasn’t he next door with the other people Aqua had asked to take care of him? 

After a few moments of observation, Ventus noticed the boy in front of him had to be around his age. But why was he smiling? How had he found him?

“Who-?”

“Come on! I’m sure that head of yours can at least remember me!”

Nothing in the world could describe Ventus’s puzzlement. All he could think about doing was tilting his head to the side in his confusion. He was certain he had never seen this boy before, after all, he couldn't remember much at all before the lab. His ‘heart’ ached as he tried to pinpoint the familiarity that just seemed to be on the tip of his tongue. How did he know this boy? Ventus struggled to think, and just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door knocked snapping him out of his thoughts. As his head snapped to the door, he could hear them talking quietly, although he wasn't sure as to what was being said. 

Ventus turned back to the other boy, only to find him gone. 

“What…?” He whispered under his breath, glancing around the room to possibly find any space the boy could be hiding. Who was he anyway? Did he know him somehow? Ventus soon realised he had many more questions than answers himself.


End file.
